Your skin might need a good cleanse even more in summer – when you are hopefully wearing an SPF all day long – than it does in winter. Good means your skin feels so fresh and so clean afterwards with no tight skin sensation.

I like to keep my skin cleaner than our house (being allergic to linalool also equals an allergy to cleaning products and those yellow latex gloves leave my hands itchy, too). I cleanse my face twice a day, even though professionals do not all agree. In the morning to prep skin for skincare and to wash away a sweaty summer night. In the evening, no matter what time it is, before going to bed to take off the day. Clean skin is the first step to healthy skin.

If you have not developed the habit of cleansing your skin every single night – that includes make-up free days – try to start it right away: pollution particles get stuck to your skin every single day, next to sebum, sweat and sunscreen.

The cleanser options have become pretty impressive over the past couple of years, thanks to the influence of the Asian double cleansing ritual and scientific proof pollution harms your skin. It does not really matter what kind of cleanser you use as long as its formula does not strip or harm the skin barrier. (You might want to switch to another cleanser if your skin feels tight after cleansing.)

I am a big fan of cleansing oils – also suitable for oily skin by the way – or a formula that contains oil(s) and turns oily once you massage it into skin. I find it to be one of the softest ways to cleanse skin. The oil dissolves dirt and make-up and attracts oil on the skin when you massage it in. Add some (luke)warm water, rinse and take everything off with a hot cloth. The ritual does not take longer than using cleansing cloths – that are bad for the environment – and the result is a lot better.

Still not convinced of the benefits of cleansing? Google the Daily Mail-article by journalist Anna Pursglove who went to bed wearing make-up for a month. Experts concluded her skin aged ten years in four weeks time.

Read the article, time to buy a new cleanser, right? These five options do the job thoroughly but with respect for your skin. Good to know: only the Lierac one contains fragrance. Sukin’s lotion contains vanillin, so there is a tiny chance your skin might react to it if it does not like fragrance.

Double Nettoyant Baume-en-huile, Lierac, 22,90 €.

This French pharmacy brand launched a new range of cleansers last year. This is my favourite one. You massage the creamy balm into skin so it can dissolve make-up (and even mascara). Add some water to turn it into a milk. The formula cleans softly but thoroughly. It also peels skin slightly thanks to glycol, lactic and malic acid and contains hyaluronic acid. I have been using it for about a year now – not every night – and the jar is still decently filled.

Biocleanse Micellar Cleansing Water, Estelle & Thild, 22,50 €.

A lot of women everywhere adore micellar water and I do not really understand why: I prefer a cleanser you use with water as I think it does a better cleansing job. Still, this fragrance-free, natural formula does the job and contains only eleven ingredients. It might be a good option if you have sensitive skin: the less ingredients, the less chance you will get an allergic reaction. (It is still possible though!)

Micellar water is also a good second step if you like the double cleansing thing. (But do replace your regular cotton pads with reusable ones you can simply pop into the laundry.)

Sensitive Cleansing Lotion, Sukin, 9,99 €.

In general, I do not like cleansing lotions but I decided to test this one anyway as you can use it in the shower, as it is fragrance-free (it does contain vanillin though) and has a pretty short INCI list. I have been using this one every morning for a couple of months now but it can also easily handle make-up. The vanillin makes it smell like vanilla cookies and the price is the cherry on the vanilla icing.

Meltdown Makeup Remover Dissolving Spray, Urban Decay, 25 €.

Urban Decay launched its cleansing range last year and I feel it did not get the attention it deserved. The products were developed to take off the brand’s long-wear make-up formulas thoroughly while respecting the skin. This three ingredient spray – that’s vitamin E and two silicones – takes off everything in no time. Very impressive on smokey eyes.

Deep Cleansing Oil, DHC, 33,50 €.

This Japanese cult brand got famous with this fragrance and colourant-free oil cleanser. Only eight ingredients – olive oil is an important one – dissolve make-up in no time and a bottle takes ages to finish.